Cable Expo 2024 Industry News - Automation Solutions Ensure Municipal Lighting System Operation
Streetlights bring convenience and safety to residents during the dark nights. Streetlighting was one of the earliest municipal projects, implemented about a thousand years ago in Cordoba, Spain. Initially, the streetlights were gas-driven, and every evening, dedicated personnel would patrol the town to light them. Cable Expo 2024 has learned that later, these gas lamps were replaced by durable and energy-efficient electric lights, and the process of turning the lights on and off has been automated.
Different municipalities use different street lighting systems and have their respective management methods. However, some operational issues are common.
High Energy Consumption
Globally, several trillion kilowatt-hours are spent on street lighting every year. High consumption means the need to produce a substantial amount of energy, which in turn implies high levels of emissions.
System Maintenance Challenges
How can lighting network operators know when a particular light or a component of the streetlight is malfunctioning and needs repair or replacement?
Energy Consumption Billing
Another term for street lighting is "unmetered load" – the bills paid by managers are not based on exact measurements but are calculated (parameterized consumption vs. operational hours).
There are corresponding solutions to these issues. For instance, to address high consumption, LED lights can be used, which are twice as efficient as standard HPS or HID lights and have a longer lifespan. Or using photoelectric sensors to ensure lights only turn on at night. However, this solution has its drawbacks; photo sensors often malfunction or accumulate dust, causing the lights to either not turn on or stay on all day.
Regarding maintenance issues, citizens can be encouraged to report damaged streetlights via the manager’s official website after noticing any damages. However, such information is often delayed, and there is a time gap between the appearance of a malfunction and its repair.
These solutions target specific issues instead of addressing them as systemic failures. Cable Expo 2024 believes that to truly enhance operational efficiency, intelligent monitoring systems need to be employed for effective management.
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